The Line is a public art trail in London, opened in 2015, that very roughly follows the path of the Greenwich meridian as it crosses the River Thames. [1] [2] It consists of a set of artworks positioned on a 7.7-kilometre (4.8 mi) walking route starting at the London Stadium, passing down the Lea Valley, crossing the Thames via the London Cable Car, and ending at The O2 in Greenwich. [3] The trail includes works by Anthony Gormley and Tracey Emin. [4]
Image | Title | Artist | Year | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Please Take a Seat | Mahtab Hussain | 2025 | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 51°32′22″N0°00′44″W / 51.53943°N 0.01212°W | [5] | |
![]() | ArcelorMittal Orbit | Anish Kapoor | 2012 | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 51°32′18″N0°00′47″W / 51.53826°N 0.01294°W | Created for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, this is the tallest sculpture in the United Kingdom at 115 metres (377 ft) and features two observation decks. [6] [7] |
![]() | The Slide | Carsten Höller | 2016 | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 51°32′18″N0°00′47″W / 51.53826°N 0.01294°W | The Slide was added to the ArcelorMittal Orbit in 2016. It is the world's longest tunnel slide at 178 m (584 ft) and riders can reach speeds of up to 24 km/h (15 mph). [8] |
Nature in Mind / Untitled | Madge Gill | 51°32′08″N0°00′42″W / 51.53542°N 0.01171°W | 10 large-scale reproductions of works by local artist Madge Gill, part of a series curated by Sophie Dutton. [9] | ||
The Living Line | Somang Lee | 2022 | 51°32′08″N0°00′29″W / 51.53555°N 0.00803°W | Watercolour illustrations of plants and wildlife found along the trail. Some of the illustrations were created by local school children. [10] | |
Diver | Ron Haselden | 2012 | 51°31′57″N0°00′31″W / 51.53244°N 0.00850°W | Animated light installation showing a person diving into water [11] | |
Nature in Mind / Untitled | Madge Gill | Three Mills 51°31′39″N0°00′27″W / 51.52745°N 0.00750°W | A series of large-scale reproductions of works by local artist Madge Gill, curated by Sophie Dutton. [12] | ||
![]() | Untitled (Juniper) | Virginia Overton | 2014 | Three Mills 51°31′39″N0°00′27″W / 51.52737°N 0.00750°W | A weather vane in steel and gold leaf featuring a juniper tree, referencing both the artist's origins and a former gin distillery at Three Mills. [13] |
![]() | Living Spring | Eva Rothschild | 2011 | 51°31′23″N0°00′26″W / 51.52311°N 0.00711°W | 4 m (13 ft) tall sculpture of striped steel tubes. [14] |
0°00 Navigation Part II: A Journey Across Europe and Africa | Simon Faithfull | 2023 | 51°31′16″N0°00′30″W / 51.52124°N 0.00825°W | Engravings of drawings that Faithfull made during an international journey following the Greenwich Meridian [15] | |
![]() | DNA DL90 | Abigail Fallis | 2003 | Bow Creek 51°31′13″N0°00′31″W / 51.52037°N 0.00860°W | This 9.3 m (31 ft) tall sculpture is a double helix made up of 22 shopping trolleys. It marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, and the artist considers the trolleys a symbol of modern consumer culture. [16] |
![]() | On WindTides | Helen Cammock | 2024 | 51°31′08″N0°00′25″W / 51.51877°N 0.00682°W | Steel text on a cable bridge across the River Lea, and a display cabinet of changing artworks made by local residents [17] [18] |
![]() | Nature in Mind / Untitled | Madge Gill | Cody Dock 51°31′04″N0°00′08″W / 51.51789°N 0.00209°W | Large-scale reproduction of a work by local artist Madge Gill, spanning the River Lea. One of a series curated by Sophie Dutton. [19] | |
Nature in Mind / Red Women | Madge Gill | Star Lane DLR station 51°31′14″N0°00′13″E / 51.52048°N 0.00372°E | One in a series of reproductions of works by local artist Madge Gill, curated by Sophie Dutton. [20] | ||
Nature in Mind / Untitled | Madge Gill | Royal Docks 51°30′28″N0°01′03″E / 51.50789°N 0.01740°E | 6 large-scale reproductions of works by local artist Madge Gill, part of a series curated by Sophie Dutton. [21] | ||
![]() | Bird Boy (without a tail) | Laura Ford | 2011 | Royal Docks 51°30′27″N0°01′03″E / 51.50761°N 0.01745°E | A sculpture of a child wearing a bird costume, standing on a pontoon. [22] |
Types of Happiness | Yinka Ilori | 2019 (created), 2023 (installed) | Royal Docks 51°30′28″N0°01′08″E / 51.50774°N 0.01896°E | Two 10 feet (3.0 m) tall chairs decorated in the style of African wax prints, representing happiness and pride. [23] [24] | |
Sanko-time | Larry Achiampong | 2020 | London Cable Car 51°30′09″N0°00′42″E / 51.50250°N 0.01165°E | Two audio works designed to be listened to during a journey on the London Cable Car, reflecting on the history of the area and the impacts of colonialism. [25] | |
What I Hear I Keep | Larry Achiampong | 2020 | Royal Docks | Pan-African flag designed by the artist [25] | |
![]() | Quantum Cloud | Anthony Gormley | 2000 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′07″N0°00′33″E / 51.50181°N 0.00920°E | 29 m (95 ft) tall sculpture, inspired by Gormley's conversations with the physicist Basil Hiley. Originally commissioned for the millennium North Meadow Sculpture Project. [26] |
![]() | Liberty Grip | Gary Hume | 2008 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′16″N0°00′18″E / 51.50437°N 0.00509°E | A bronze sculpture with three sections, each modelled on a mannequin's arm. [27] |
![]() | Tribe and Tribulation | Serge Attukwei Clottey | 2022 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′17″N0°00′07″E / 51.50482°N 0.00198°E | A 5.5m tall totemic sculpture made of 1.4m cubes of reclaimed wood, including timber from Ghanaian fishing boats, and an embedded sound installation. [28] |
![]() | A Slice of Reality | Richard Wilson | 2000 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′15″N0°00′01″W / 51.50414°N 0.00024°W | A sliced section through the former sand dredger Arco Trent. Originally commissioned for the millennium North Meadow Sculpture Project. [29] |
![]() | Here | Thomson & Craighead | 2013 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′11″N0°00′05″W / 51.50316°N 0.00146°W | This sculpture is located on the Greenwich meridian and is a UK road sign displaying the 24,859-mile (40,007 km) distance around the Earth back to its position. [30] |
![]() | A Bullet from a Shooting Star | Alex Chinneck | 2015 | Greenwich Peninsula 51°30′04″N0°00′02″W / 51.50124°N 0.00057°W | A sculpture of an electricity pylon balanced at an angle on its tip. It is 35 metres (115 ft) tall and weighs 15 tonnes. Originally commissioned for the 2015 London Design Festival. [31] |
Several works were previously part of The Line, but have since been removed.
Image | Title | Artist | Created | Added | Removed | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inhibition Point | James Balmforth | 2015 | April 2016 | January 2017 | [32] | ||
Work No.700 | Martin Creed | 2007 | May 2015 | December 2016 | Royal Docks 51°30′28″N0°01′08″E / 51.5077°N 0.01887°E | [33] | |
Sensation | Damien Hirst | 2003 | May 2015 | November 2019 | [34] | ||
Vulcan | Eduardo Paolozzi | 1999 | May 2015 | June 2017 | [35] | ||
Network | Thomas J. Price | 2013 | May 2015 | November 2019 | [36] | ||
![]() | Reaching Out | Thomas J. Price | 2020 | August 2022 [37] | Three Mills Green 51°31′46″N0°00′24″W / 51.52942°N 0.00665°W | The third sculpture of a black woman in the UK, and the first by a black artist, this is not based on a single person but is a fictional composite of various references. The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weighs 420 kilograms. [38] [39] | |
Consolidator #654321 | Sterling Ruby | May 2015 | August 2019 | The Crystal | [40] | ||
The Hatchling | Joanna Rajkowska | 2019 | Large replica of a blackbird egg. This was a mixed media work and sound equipment played the noises made by chicks as they prepare to hatch. [41] | ||||
Transfiguration Series | Bill Viola | May 2015 | August 2015 | House Mill, Three Mills 51°31′39″N0°00′28″W / 51.52742°N 0.00785°W | [42] | ||
No. 1104 Catching Colour | Rana Begum | 2022 | London City Island 51°30′41″N0°00′21″E / 51.51148°N 0.00577°E | Clouds of coloured mesh, suspended above a path. [43] | |||
![]() | A Moment Without You | Tracey Emin | 2017 | July 2021 [44] | November 2024 | 51°31′36″N0°00′27″W / 51.52659°N 0.00751°W | Five bronze sculptures of birds mounted on tall poles. [45] |